Don't Fear the Reaper
by LaMaestra86
Summary: When Stephanie is diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain tumor leaving her with no chance to live, can a stranger remind her what it is to be alive again?
1. That Strange Feeling

The crowd roars loudly and the lights slowly fade. A thunderous clap is heard from backstage and once again a strong show was delivered Monday night on Raw. Fans slowly begin to exit as the superstars walk backstage to tend to their injuries. Everyone high fived John Cena and Randy Orton for an over the top performance that sent even superstars chills. Stephanie and Paul rush over with the doctor to make sure their employees are 100% okay and that there were no serious injuries involved. Once the entire arena was emptied and all the superstars were dressed and ready to leave, Stephanie gathered everyone together for her usual pep talk.

"Every week I do the same speech and say the same thing about how great tonight's show was and how it couldn't have happened because of you and tonight I can truly say that tonight all of you proved it. I know, every night you put your bodies on the line and the WWE Universe and myself especially cannot thank you enough for all that you do. I think out of all the shows we've done throughout the years, tonight had to have been our most strongest episode. We had John and Randy tearing each other apart. I'm glad you guys are okay and there were no broken bones. We had April prove that she can be like one of the guys, high flying stunts and even having that chase segment with every diva on the roster. Ryback and Sheamus you guys just surprised us all and congratulations on the titles. I can't think of anyone else who deserves those titles than you both. Every one of you is the reason why I love this company. You guys put your heart and soul into this industry. Anyone can pack their bags and say they quit because it's too much for their bodies but you guys aren't quitters. You keep going and that's what I love about all of you,"

Everyone cheered and clapped.

"Okay now we have to wrap this up because we need to be on the east coast in about 24 hours so let me just finish off by saying thank you for all that you do and thank you once again for another amazing show."

Everyone cheered loudly and hollered. Stephanie laughed along with them before parting ways and getting her things.

The next morning before the sun could even rise, Stephanie and Paul were already boarding their plane and taking off for Connecticut.

"It's going to be a decent 6 hour flight. We better get some sleep now." Paul suggested.

Stephanie rubbed her head as she wrinkled her forehead.

"Steph, are you okay?"

"Yeah. I just suddenly got this headache. Not sure why exactly." She answered. "It could be from lack of sleep. We pretty much had about 4 hours of sleep. Try to get some rest. Maybe once we arrive, you could feel better." Paul explained. Stephanie got up and went to the back where there were blankets stored in a small compartment by her feet. She took 2 out and handed one to Paul when she went back.

"Get some rest." Paul smiled. "You too." She replied and pulled the blanket over her.

About 6 hours later, the plane landed and Paul and Stephanie woke up. "How are you feeling?" Paul asked. "A little better. The sleep helped." She answered. "Good. Come on, we gotta go. There's a meeting at noon and that only leaves us with 2 hours to get ready." Paul reminded her. He jumped up and helped Stephanie get up from her seat. The two exited the plane with their luggage and hopped into the limo that was waiting for them.

As soon as they arrived home, they both hurried to get ready. Once they did, they hopped into their SUV and drove to Stamford which was a quick 20 minute drive and greeted everyone.

"Okay, I'll meet you in a few minutes. Good luck." Paul told her and gave her a peck on the lips. Stephanie walked to her office and put down her briefcase. She opened the top drawer and pulled out a flash drive. The computer was then turned on and in a matter on seconds, the desktop displayed and Stephanie plugged in the flash drive. She opened the drive and scrolled down through several folders until she found the one she was looking for.

"Let's see how this looks." She said to herself. She noticed the time and had a few minutes before the presentation.

Just suddenly her headache returned. She exhaled as she looked through her drawers for a pain reliever. She went over and poured herself a glass of water from the table by the window and swallowed the pill.

Vince entered and welcomed her back as well as reminded her of the meeting in a few minutes. Stephanie informed him that she is ready and that she will meet him in a moment. After he left, she looked through the PowerPoint then closed it. She pulled out the flash drive and just as she grabbed the doorknob, the pain returned only this time the top of her head was pounding. She closed her eyes to hope the pain would go away but it didn't. She couldn't cancel on the meeting therefore she had no choice but to continue to suffer the pain. She opened the door and made her way to the conference room while clearly displaying signs of pain as she passed by everyone.


	2. Not Quite Right

Vince, Paul, and several other executives were sitting and waiting for the arrival of Stephanie. There were a few more minutes until the meeting went underway and Stephanie entered looking distraught.

"You okay, Steph?" Vince asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine, just have a little headache. It's nothing serious."

"Okay. I'll give you a few minutes to get ready."

Stephanie hooked up her laptop and her PowerPoint was displayed on the screen for everyone to see. She waited until her father gives her the okay to begin. Until then, she helped herself to another glass of water to help get rid of the headache.

A couple of more executives enter and found a seat as they wait for the meeting to begin. Vince then looked around and saw that everyone was present and told Stephanie to begin.

"Okay. Well first let me just welcome everyone to the meeting. I'm glad everyone was able to make it, including Paul and myself. It's not easy rushing here from California." She joked. She picked up the remote for the PowerPoint presentation and began.

"Well, first let's begin with the plan for the upcoming month. WWE last month had ratings that skyrocketed. When I mean skyrocket, I mean from every which way possible. Merchandise, television, appearances, etc. This slide basically gives you the overall summation of last month and the month prior. As you can see, the numbers tripled, which is the first time in years since we've seen such success like so."

"But you also have to remember, last month we also had WrestleMania. A major pay-per-view that draws fans from all over the world. You do need to take that into consideration." Vince reminded her. "Yes, that is important to remember. Since WrestleMania has now passed, we have to ask ourselves, 'how can we keep these numbers high?' and that's where we bring in my expertise. The branding."

Stephanie presents another slide and Be A S.T.A.R is displayed with photos of the WWE Superstars with children at different schools.

"It's no doubt that Be A S.T.A.R has been a huge success. Next month, what I have proposed is we have Superstars going to different schools in whatever city they are scheduled to be in and not only speak to them about the issue of bullying but also do something we've never done before: promote a hotline that I created to allow children who are bullied to talk to the WWE."

There were some whispers and many raised eyebrows as to how this was going to be planned out and go forward.

"How exactly does this work?" an executive asked.

"Glad you asked. The hotline will be open 24 hours. I have requested that those who will actually answer and help the callers be teachers, former teachers, psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors, and social service providers. Calls will be confidential but will be recorded and stored away for legal reasons of course. All the caller has to do is dial the number. They will first be connected to our licensed professionals who will then provide the help that they need."

The looks on the faces of the executives was more than enough for Stephanie to see that they were in love with the idea.

Her headache began to get worse. She felt her head pounding and she had to excuse herself.

Stephanie rushed to her office and looked for her pain reliever. Her hands shook but she managed to open the bottle and take 2 pills out. She walked over to the window and carefully tried to pour herself some water again.

"Steph? Is everything okay?" Paul asked when he popped his head in. She swung around and nodded wearily. "I think I'm just stressed out. I have never felt this way before." She explained. Paul went over and wrapped his arms around her. "Listen, I think the meeting can be postponed. You obviously aren't feeling so good. You were complaining of a headache in the plane also. Maybe you should just take the rest of the day off. I'm sure your dad won't mind. He knows you've been working day and night especially on this new project that you just mentioned."

"I can finish it. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure? I just saw you struggling to pour water into a glass. This isn't like you, babe. You're either burned out or coming down with an illness."

Stephanie pulled away and smirked. "Me? Sick? You know that isn't possible. I haven't been sick since I was in college. There is no way I am sick. I'm probably just burned out like you said."

Paul gave her a kiss and the two walked out of her office hand in hand.

She entered and Vince asked if she's okay to continue. Stephanie nodded and apologized to everyone for the abrupt leave.

"Sorry for that, everyone. It seems as though I've had some serious jet lag and it caught up to me."

She looked at the PowerPoint and stared at it. She looked confused. She could not remember what the slide was about. Everything was confusing her. She looked through the slides on the laptop but nothing clicked.

"Stephanie? Are you ready to continue?" another executive asked.

"Yes, just a moment, please." She answered as she was still staring at the slide.

Everyone in the room felt uncomfortable. This was not typical behavior coming from her. A concerned Vince tried to step in and hopefully could steer her to begin the presentation from where she last left off since he already knew what the presentation was going to be about.

"Stephanie, I believe this current slide was about you discussing the list of professionals who you claimed would be answering the phones if any child does call about a bullying problem. Do you have a headquarter location yet or have you come up with a plan to do this hotline nationally?"

She turned and looked at her father. She was still unable to recall what the slide was about but Paul walked over and displayed the next slide for her.

"Just continue from here." He whispered in her ear. She looked at it and immediately put 2 and 2 together to continue.

"Right. Sorry for the confusion, everyone. As Vince asked, will there be a headquarter location or will there be a plan to have multiple locations nationally? We are actually considering a location in every state. The idea is that once the caller dials, they are prompted to ask for their location. Our technology will be able to connect them to the right people and provide them to help and advice that they need."

After the meeting, Vince asked Stephanie to see him in his office. She knew she was in trouble and dragged herself into his office a few minutes after.

When arriving, Vince asked her to sit as he stood.

"I have to say, the meeting didn't go quite as smoothly as I expected."

"I know, dad, and I'm not happy about it either. I just… I don't know what happened. I was fine yesterday and then suddenly I got this headache and now it won't go away." Stephanie explained. "It's not just the headache that worried me. It was the fact you could not remember where you last left off." Vince replied. "That, I don't understand either, dad. I think I was just so burned out that my mind went blank for a moment. You know I've been working around the clock nonstop for over 15 years with this company. It was bound to happen at some point where I just get burned out." Stephanie said.

Vince scratched his head and sighed. "You know what, maybe you should take a few days off. Just to relax a little and not feel the pressure anymore." He suggested. Stephanie, shocked, scoffed and shook her head. "I'm not taking any time off dad. Nothing is wrong with me. I just forgot where I last left off. It's not such a big deal."

"Stephanie, there is no reason to argue. I want you to go home. Rest. Spend some time with the girls. For goodness sake, honey, when was the last time you actually got to spend time with your girls? You don't need to worry about work here. Nothing will happen when you get back. Just make sure you get the rest that you need. Paul can handle it." Vince assured.

"I don't know, dad."

"I'm not taking no for an answer. Go home. Now."

She knew that arguing with Vince McMahon was never going to end with her winning. She got up and gave him a hug. She went over to find Paul and told him that she is going home.

"Yeah, I think it's a good idea. I've seen you work till 2 in the morning sometimes. Just be on vacation mode. You deserve it."

Stephanie kissed him and left the office.


	3. Emergency!

Several days have passed since her incident at the office. She was ordered not to attend Raw by her father but instead take more time off. During those days off her headaches would come on and off. She would have moments where she would forget something and remember it moments later or with the help from someone prompting her. She brushed it off as nothing more than just a long term effect of stress since she had been working for the company practically half her life.

The girls were with their grandparents while Stephanie enjoyed the peace and quiet at home with her dog. She looked through her emails and noticed that a deadline was coming up for a contract negotiation. She ran upstairs and look inside her briefcase in the Study to fax the papers over immediately. Once they were found, she faxed them and logged onto her laptop to send the documents via email as well in case. Just as be started to write the email, Paul came in and asked what she was doing.

"Hey. I just remembered there was this contract I needed to send over and today was the last day for it."

"Okay, but calm down. You're working like a mad scientist, typing away like your fingers will fall off soon." Paul joked. Stephanie stopped typing and held her wrist as her fingers trembled. Paul was getting worried about her condition and walked over to her.

"Maybe I spoke too soon."

Her headache returned and Stephanie grasped her head with both hands and screamed in pain. She pushed her chair back and just as she stood up, she wobbled around the table and collapsed.

"Steph?" Paul asked when he ran to her. He shook her but she was unresponsive. Without hesitation, Paul whipped out his cell phone and called for an ambulance. Within minutes it arrived and whisked her away.

In the hospital, she woke up and looked around. Paul jumped up from his seat and walked over to her side.

"Hey, beautiful. How are you feeling?" he asked softly. "Where am I?" she asked. "You're at the hospital. You collapsed and I called for the ambulance." He answered. Stephanie tried hard to think back to the moment that led up to this but couldn't understand what could have caused her to collapse. "Did the doctors or nurses, someone come yet?" she asked.

Coincidentally, just then, the doctor walked in and introduced himself.

"Ah, I see you're up. Good. How are you feeling, Stephanie?"

"Well, I can't really complain right now about the pain. I'm just wondering what the heck happened and why I'm here."

"Well first let me just introduce myself. I'm Dr. Myers. According to the reports you had a severe headache and it caused you to lose control of your balance and lose your consciousness. Now I was informed that you were ordered to take a few days off from work due to high levels of but it seems as though it hasn't helped. I have requested that you get an MRI, CT Scan and a blood test. That way we can get an idea of what exactly it is that caused this. In the meantime, we'll keep you here overnight in case anything else happens again and tomorrow morning you'll be able to go home if nothing else happens." The doctor explained.

"Any idea how soon you'll be able to get the results?" Paul asked him. "I'll request that they process the results within 24 to 48 hours in your case."

"So now what? I just lay here all day and night? I can't get any work done. I've got at least 3 things that need to be sent over to L.A." Stephanie complained. "My suggestion is to relax now before your condition worsens, Ms. McMahon." The doctor advised. Stephanie rolled her eyes but the doctor responded back with a smile. Paul couldn't help but chuckle at the exchanges both gave each other. "Okay, I think I'll take it from here. Thanks, doc and I'll be sure she's resting." He replied. The doctor walked out and Stephanie scoffed at the instructions given to her.

"Seriously, Paul? Relax? Does he not know how a 24 hour job works?" Stephanie asked him. "I think he does. He kinda does the same thing, you know." He answered. "Oh shut up, Paul. It was a rhetorical question. Don't be a smartass." She said in between her soft laugh. "He is right, though. Just take it easy for tonight. No one will get fired from missing something. Your dad already knows you're here. I told him he doesn't need to come, I will take care of it. You just sit back and close those eyes. I swear to God, if I hear one more utter from your mouth about business, I'll fire you." He joked. Stephanie, in a silly matter, dropped her jaw and shook her head with her eyes wide open. Paul bursted into laughed and asked what in the world she was doing. "Hey, gotta make light of this situation, right?"

Throughout the entire day Stephanie was sent for several tests including a Stress Test to determine what caused her to become unconscious. Though it was a difficult task on Paul's part but for a few hours, she was finally able to do something she hadn't done in a long time: rest.


	4. The Results

After several days off, Stephanie finally returned to work and the first thing she did was attend a Raw show. Everyone welcomed her back from superstars to crew members. She did not tell anyone about her reason of absence but merely said she was feeling under the weather and was given strict orders to stay home to rest and recuperate. Of course, everyone believed her story and everyone also knew not to question Stephanie McMahon. Whatever she says, you do it or agree and continue with whatever you were doing before.

With about an hour left before the show was over, Stephanie and Paul were sitting on the leather couches in their office when Paul had an idea.

"Hey. Do you wanna call it a night and head out now?"

"What?" she asked with a puzzled look. "What do you mean 'what'? Things always change around here. You're exhausted. I'm exhausted. Let's just call it a night, grab some dinner and head back to the hotel. I'll let Vince know and he won't mind. He will just run things for the final hour." Paul explained.

Her reaction was not one Paul expected. Rather than embracing the idea, she looked away and sighed as though she was annoyed with him. She shook her head and looked back at him.

"I'm guessing you don't want to go?" he asked when he saw the look on her face. "Are you fucking kidding me? Really? What is the matter with you? You think I'm going to just get up and walk out of here? When have I ever done that?" she lashed out. Paul backed away for a moment and couldn't believe what he was hearing from her. "Steph, calm down. It was just a suggestion." He replied back. "Just because I run this place doesn't mean you can too. I make the calls, I make the rules. Not you! Got it!? And no, we aren't leaving! You feel tired? Well too fucking bad! You can go back without me! I have a responsibility here! This is MY company! NOT yours! When you create your own wrestling company you can go ahead and leave whenever you want but until then, you follow MY rules! I'm staying here until the show is over! I don't care if I have to be here till fucking 4AM, I'm not leaving! If you're that tired then you shouldn't have come here then!" she screamed.

Paul sat there looking angry but also wise enough not to open his mouth to add more fuel to the fire. Instead, he got up and walked out, slamming the door behind him. Stephanie sighed and got up to go after him.

"Paul wait." She called out. Paul ignored her and continued to walk down the corridor as Stephanie trailed behind him. When she caught up to him, she grabbed him by the arm and apologized. Paul pulled her into an empty room and closed the door behind him.

"What the hell was that?"

"Look, I'm sorry. I don't know why I did that. Something just came over me and the initial reaction I got was anger." She explained. Paul was unsure whether or not to believe her. He locked his fingers on top of his head and sighed. "You need to chill out, Steph. It was merely a suggestion. If you wanna stay, fine, we will stay. You didn't have to get so nasty with me." He replied. "Paul, I already said I'm sorry. What more do you want from me?" she insisted. Paul dropped his hands and hugged his wife. "Nothing. Just don't go crazy like that again. Geez, I was expecting your head to start spinning like from The Exorcist." He joked. Stephanie slapped his arm and laughed. "You're lucky that didn't happen. Come on, let's go back." She said and opened the door.

Her phone rang. When she saw who it was from, she rushed to her room with Paul and locked the door so they could not be disturbed. She wondered why he'd call at such a late hour.

"Hello?"

"Stephanie. Hi, it's Dr. Myers, how are you?"

"I'm fine but a little worried now that you called me at this hour. I'm assuming you received the results?" she asked nervously. "Yes. I need to see you first thing in the morning in my office. Will you be able to do that?" he asked. She turned around to face Paul who also looked concerned. "Yes. We're on our way now. I will see you then." She answered and hung up.

Paul waited but Stephanie said nothing. "Well?" he asked. "We need to go. Now." She answered. She grabbed her bag and Paul followed behind her. "You go in the car, I'll go tell Vince that we're outta here." He instructed as they walked rapidly down the halls. They went their separate ways and he went to search for Vince who was by the controls not too far from the parking lot. Moments later, he met Stephanie and the two flew to Connecticut on their private plane.

What was a 2 hour flight to Connecticut seemed like a lifetime for the both of them. Both nervous, Stephanie especially, and scared, Paul had to be there for his wife. He noticed she showed no other emotion. He was not sure if she was trying to hide her true feelings or if she was just trying not to think about the worst possible news. The only thing he could do was sit beside her and hold her the entire time as she looked out the window. Throughout the entire flight she never spoke a word.

All night the two of them were up. When they arrived home, rather than sleeping, they stayed up all night. At 7AM they arrived at the hospital looking weary. The doctor sat them both down with a large yellow envelope containing the x rays, MRI, and CT scans.

"I've received the results and after looking through them several times and double checking to make sure your results were not mixed up with any other patient's, I'm afraid I have to tell you that you have a brain tumor." He said with somber.

Paul and Stephanie sat and showed no emotion. How could they? What could their first reaction be? Shock? Sadness? Anger? How does one cope with news like this? Stephanie thought for a moment before finally saying her first words about the news. "So what do we do?"

"Unfortunately the location of the tumor is between your frontal and parietal lobe, between the top and front part of your skull. Is that where you've been feeling your headaches?" he asked. Stephanie nodded with her lips pursed. "Along with that, you may have experienced memory loss, fine motor difficulties, muscle tremors, your understanding may have been off a bit. You could have experienced sudden feelings of anger or sadness or excitement for no apparent reason –"

"I get it, Doctor. I've experienced it all. What do I do next?" she asked hoping to get her answer. The doctor sighed with disappointment and looked down. "I'm sorry. This form of tumor is not curable. The location is very dangerous to operate on. Surgeons could damage either of the lobes or any nerve connected to the lobes or even a gyrus. The only option you have is chemotherapy but that won't guarantee the tumor will shrink or disappear."

"So you're saying either way this tumor is going to remain in me forever."

The doctor nodded with great sadness without ever making eye contact with her. Stephanie looked to her left to Paul who was fighting back tears. She smiled at him and shook her head. She looked at the doctor again.

"So what do you suggest?"

"There's a hospice not too far from here, in Greenwich in fact, that is excellent. I can't make the decision for your but –"

"I'll go." She answered. "Steph." Paul said. "No. It's okay. If it's deemed as excellent then why not? If they have all the best medical technology, then why not?" she told Paul. "Babe, are you sure about this?" he asked her softly. She sighed and nodded. She looked at the doctor and told him to call the hospice and send her files over there. He agreed to do so right away.

Stephanie stood up and Paul stood up after. The stood pushed his chair back and got up to walk over to her.

"I'm so sorry, Ms. McMahon."

Stephanie smiled. "Hey, I work in a company where everything you do, you have to fight for. This is just another obstacle for me and I'll win. I always do."

She turned around and began to walk out of his office. Paul thanked the doctor and shook his hand.

"I'll forward you the information within the next hour or so. Afterwards the hospice will contact you as to when she can officially move in."

"Doctor, are you 100% positive those are her results in that envelope?" Paul asked. "I wish I was wrong." He replied. Paul walked away and met Stephanie who was already sitting in the car waiting for him. Without a word, he turned on the car and drove home.


	5. The First Day

Paul loaded her bags into the car and closed the trunk. Stephanie stood in front of her home for the very last time and looked at her property. Paul walked up to her and told her the bags are loaded. She turned around and held his hand.

"Steph, you know you don't have to do this. You still can change your mind. Just have someone come here." Paul pleaded. "Paul, I know you want me here but I have to do this. If I stay here, I'll be running back and forth between here and the hospital for all my chemo. Eventually I'll become too weak. It's best I just begin this battle over there. You know how I am. I'm a tough cookie. I'll beat the odds and be home before you know it." Stephanie said optimistically. Paul nodded and smiled. "Yeah."

He kissed her on the head and the two walked to the car.

The long trail led to a beautiful garden in front of the hospice. There were many patients outside sitting with groups and some by themselves. You could clearly hear laughs between the patients and staff members. When he parked the car, Paul opened the door for Stephanie and grabbed her bags from the back. The two of them entered the hospice together and were greeting in the front. After filling out forms and getting cleared, Stephanie was shown to her room. The staff gave the two of them privacy and closed the door behind them.

They sat silently without looking at each other for a few minutes. Paul could not accept the fact that he will now be separated from his wife and she had to battle this all on her own without him. He felt betrayed but he knew that this was something she wanted and knew would help her. All he could do was respect her decision and support her all the way.

"You know I'll be coming here everyday after work and I'll be staying here till they kick my ass out of here." He joked. The two shared a warm laugh and Stephanie went over and sat in his lap. He cradled her and held her tightly in his arms as he broke down in tears. Stephanie wiped his tears and rested her forehead on his. "Don't you dare cry now, Paul. Not now. You know I'll be fine. I promise you." She whispered. "Yeah, well you are known for keeping promises." Paul joked again. She planted a kiss on his lips and Paul refused to pull away. Stephanie finished the kiss and hugged him.

"Just get better and get home fast." He told her. "I'm a McMahon. You know how we are." She joked. "Pain in the asses? Yeah, don't remind me." Paul again joked. Stephanie lightly punched his shoulder. She got off him and looked out the window before Paul joined her alongside. "You better go before they literally do kick you out of here." She said. Paul refused to go but did not want to start any problems. "I'll be back here first thing in the morning before work and again after work." He promised. She held and squeezed his hand. He slowly backed away with Stephanie still holding onto his hand. Their fingers slipped and he disappeared. Moments later she saw him walk outside and into his car. He waited for a few minutes before the car finally went in reverse and pulled out. She saw him drive away and then turned around and looked around her room.

A nurse stopped by and apologized for interrupting her but her first chemo was going to begin tomorrow. She handed her a small list of what to expect before, during, and after the first treatment and what she should and shouldn't do before and after. Stephanie thanked the nurse and placed the paper on the nightstand. She unpacked her bags and crawled into her bed with her knees meeting her chest.

"Hey, you're Stephanie McMahon, aren't you?" a voice called out from the door.

She looked up and saw a young man with a gray skull cap on and jeans with a plain black shirt by her door. He looked to be about her age but the clean shaven look made him pass for his late 20's. His forest green eyes never looked away from her as he leaned his shoulder against the threshold with his arms crossed.

"In the flesh." She answered proudly.

The young man's jaw dropped with excitement. "Holy shit. I'm a huge fan!" he told her as he walked up to her and extended his arm out to her. Stephanie shook his hand but didn't seem to happy to hear that nor care. She wasn't quite in the mood to hear about her fans. "Hey listen, me and a few patients are going to the ice cream shop that's a few blocks away. Would you like to join us?" he asked politely. Stephanie thought it was a sweet invite but shook her head. "Are you sure? You seem a little down. I mean, if you want, you can come and I'll listen to you." He suggested. She was hesitant at first but then changed her mind. "Great! I'll let the nurses at the front desk know you're coming with us in case they have some drill about a missing patient. Stay here. I'll be back in 2 minutes." He replied. She did just that and waited for him to return. When he did, she walked out with him and joined a small group of about 10 patients of all ages heading to the local ice cream shop.

She tried not to show any emotion but the appearances of the patients varied and scared her. Not in a way where she was afraid of getting hurt by them, but afraid that she was going to look just like them in a matter of weeks. Some had no hair and looked pale as ghosts. Others wore bandanas and caps to cover up the patchy spots on their heads. Others looked perfectly healthy to the unknown whereas others you could tell were worn down and looked defeated. She walked beside the young man and stuck by his side the entire time.

When they arrived, everyone ordered whatever they wanted and sat wherever they pleased. The young man found a small table for just the two of them and began to converse.

"So what are you here for? Is the WWE coming here for a taping? Is your character supposed to be here to show Dean Ambrose that he's a cancer who belongs here till he's all better?" the young man asked. Stephanie fought back her tears and shook her head. His smile immediately disappeared and a look of concern grew on his face.

"Wait a minute. You're not—you don't have…" the young man started. Stephanie nodded sadly without ever looking at him. "How? When?" he asked. Stephanie composed herself and exhaled. "Sorry for that. You know me. I'm not one to show my emotions of sadness. To answer your question: you're right. I have a brain tumor which can't be cured. It can't be removed and although going to chemo may do something, it won't be destroyed." She explained. "So you just came here? You can afford to have doctors and nurses come to you. Why leave everything behind and come here?" he asked curiously. She looked down and thought about it before finally looking him in the eyes.

"Because at this point, I'm no different than you."

He sat back and watched her play with her ice cream in the bowl.

"Well to me you're still Stephanie McMahon the principle owner of WWE. I don't care if you have to wrestle me to the ground to make me change my mind, and that _is_ an option mind you, but you'll always have my respect." He replied. Stephanie gave him half a smile and pushed her ice cream away. She lost her appetite and looked out the window.

"Hey. Look, I know I'm probably being annoying and I'm sorry, but I would like to help you get this off your mind today. Just to make you feel a little better." He explained. "Thanks. That's really sweet of you. I guess if I'm gonna be here for the rest of my life… I may as well start making some new friends." She replied. "Rest of your life? No way. Watch some miracle be performed and you are 100% healthy and then you can return to television. And maybe do something to get rid of Nikki Bella?" he joked. Stephanie this time smiled bigger and even laughed. "Why would I do that?" she asked. "I don't know about you, but I really can't stand her. You should really get rid of her." He replied. "I'll keep that in mind." She said.

The group finished up and followed the nurses outside where they were taken back to the hospice.

When they arrived, Stephanie went right back to her room. The young man stood by her door.

"Hey, um… if you ever wanna talk or just need some ideas for work or wanna watch Raw or Smackdown, I'm actually a couple of rooms down from you. I'm in room 116." He said. She walked over to him and smiled. "Thanks. I'll be sure to stop by."

He began to walk away when suddenly, Stephanie remembered something.

"Wait! I never got your name!"

He turned around and started to walk backwards while facing her. "Ryan!"


	6. A Pleasant Surprise

The next day she had her first chemotherapy session. It wasn't a picnic but afterwards she spent most of the day in her room to recuperate. Later on, Paul arrived and spent some time with her. She was glad to see him. It helped her stay strong and keep her mind off the negative possibilities of what may happen to her.

"How was your first night here?"

"Scary. Lonely. Depressing. I can't say it was the greatest experience of my life but I did manage to find a fan here." She answered. "Well that's good. At least you guys talked? Make the first day a little less nerve wrecking?" he asked. "Yeah. We talked. He's a nice guy. At least for a few minutes I was able to forget why I was here." She explained. Paul didn't say anything. He simply wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the head. "You'll get through this. Forget what that doctor said. You'll overcome this and you'll be back home and in the office in no time. I swear. I'll picket outside the CDC office if I have to and demand they give you some serum to cure this if I have to." Paul replied. "Well that's comforting." She joked. "You know I'll move mountains for you." He explained. "I know. I just ask myself how could this happen to me? Was it from stress? Is it something that runs in my family and no one knew about it?" She questioned. "Honey, things will always happen to us and there are going to be times where we will never know. This isn't a punishment or a reward. Life is always going to be a test. And all you did was succeed. This is just a bit more if a challenge. That's all." He simply put it. Stephanie rested her head on his shoulder and locked her fingers between his.

"How was chemo?" he asked. "I wasn't feeling too crazy about it. Afterwards I just felt tired and weak. To be honest I really want to tell them not to give it to me anymore because of how lousy I felt but I have no choice. They're really just wasting their time and money since the doctor did say there is no cure for this. I guess they're just doing their jobs that way they have no lawsuit on their hands." Stephanie said.

"Stop it. I don't wanna hear you speak like that. You're going to live. I don't care what those results say. You're gonna live long enough to see the girls grow up and go to their proms and start college. You'll have grandkids and teach them the same things you taught the girls. I'm not going to let you think this way. Understand?" Paul demanded. Stephanie agreed and nodded. "Sorry. It's just going to take a few days getting used to." She explained. "I get it. But you have us for support. And I'm not going to sit back and watch you get more and more sick. As long as I'm living on this Earth I'm going to demand and do whatever I can in my power to help you get better." He assured her.

Stephanie gave him a kiss.

"How are the girls?"

"They ask about you. Aurora is sort of getting the idea that you are sick and are staying somewhere until you get better. I haven't told them the full story. Murphy and Vaughn just ask when you're coming back because they want to go to DisneyWorld as soon as school is over. I keep telling them you'll be back by then."

She broke down and cried in Paul's arms. She wished she could see her girls but knew someplace like this would be a bad idea. "Let me bring them here tomorrow. I know you want to see them." He said. Stephanie shook her head. "No. No, absolutely not. I don't want them to see their mom here." She answered. "Babe, just one time, then. I know you miss them. They miss you a lot. If you don't want to see them, then at least let them see you. It might make you feel better." He said. She knew she wasn't going to win this debate therefore gave Paul the green light.

A nurse came and informed the two that visiting hours are over. Paul thanked her and said his goodbyes to Stephanie. He left and Stephanie watched him walk outside to his car and drive off. She laid in bed and closed her eyes. She remembered she brought her ipod and searched through her nightstand for it. She popped in the earphones and escaped reality for a little while.

That evening, the lights went out but Stephanie didn't feel like sleeping. There was nothing to watch on her TV nor did she want to bother herself with any work on her laptop. Suddenly she remembered Ryan was only two doors down. She quietly opened her door making sure it didn't creak. She noticed the coast was clear and she walked over to his room. She knocked on his door and waited. There was no answer and began to walk away. After taking several steps, she heard something! She turned around and saw the door to Ryan's room opened. Looking half asleep, he stepped out of his room and noticed Stephanie was in the hallway.

"What are you doing?" he whispered. Ecstatic to see him, she hurried over to him. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. I just… I didn't feel like sleeping and there was nothing to watch on TV. You know what? I'm sorry. Never mind. This was a bad idea. I'll just get back to my room and –"

"Whoa, there! Relax! It's not a problem. We can talk. It's fine. Um… do you want to stay in my room to talk or go to yours?" he asked. A little shy to answer, he pushed her lower lip to one side. Ryan got the hint and led her to his room.

"Welcome to my bachelor pad!" he joked as she entered. He pulled up the soft chair beside his bed and told Stephanie she can sit on his bed.

"Sorry for not having anything to eat or drink. You're not a nice guest for just dropping by like that. Next time let me know so I can do some shopping. Sneak in some gummy worms or something." He continued to joked. Stephanie laughed and apologized once more for her sudden drop by. Ryan didn't care but explained he merely wanted to make light of the situation and put her in a good mood.

"So what's going on? Can't sleep? What's on your mind? Is it me? I've been told I have that effect on many women. Including married ones." He continued. "Very funny. I do like your sense of humor though. It helps me take my mind off of certain things." She replied. "Ah I see. So you're using me for your own pleasure. I feel so violated. Please continue." He replied with a big smile on his face. Stephanie let out a soft laugh and shook her head. "But really, what's going on? Is everything okay?" he asked. "Yeah. I just… felt alone. It sounds stupid, I know—" she began. "No. No, not at all. I know what you mean. It doesn't sound stupid. I've been through the same thing. It'll get better over time. I promise. I'm glad to see you confided in me and thought of me," He said putting his hand on her knee. "It only means my powers are working."

Stephanie pushed his hand away and laughed with him. After a few moments of exchanging jokes and sharing laughs, she felt a little uncomfortable but wanted to ask him something. "Can I ask why you're here?"

"Leukemia. Doctors told me I only had 3 months to live. It's been about 6 months. I don't know nor do I think about when my last day will be but I try to live my life every day. Make each day count. If I sat around and moped all day and night I would've made my time here much less. It's funny but the power of positivity really does wonders." He answered.

She was amazed at his attitude towards death. She barely knew him but he taught her so much in just 24 hours.

"How old are you?" she asked. "Old enough for you to date." He answered in a flirty manner. "So 40." She said. "Hey! No, I'm not _that_ old!" he replied. Stephanie chuckled as he joined her. "Sorry, I had to."

"I'm 32. Told you I'm old enough for you to date. If you go for the younger guys." He joked. "I'm starting to think you're not just a fan but more of an admirer." She pointed out. "I prefer secret lover but hey, admirer sounds more pleasant." He said. "If you play your cards right, maybe you will be." She flirted back. "Really?" he asked her excitedly. "Hell no! But I loved how you believed it for a moment there." She laughed. Ryan frowned and placed his hand over his heart. "That's it! There's no reason to live anymore! Stephanie McMahon doesn't and refuses to love me!" he called out quietly. The two laughed and continued to talk.

"So tell me a little about yourself." She asked, sounding like a little girl. She crossed her legs and placed her hands in her lap. "Okay. Well um… my name is Ryan. I'm 32. I have Leukemia. I have 2 brothers. One older, one younger. My parents live in Wisconsin and my two brothers live on each ends of the continent. One is in San Francisco and the other lives in New York. I rarely get to see them. I graduated with a degree in Music and can play the guitar pretty well. I was a music teacher at a high school for about 5 years before learning about my illness. I had to resign of course. I get cards during the holidays from coworkers. Some visit once in a while. Not as much as they used to but the couple who I am good friends with do visit more often than others. That's why you see a guitar in the corner. I play sometimes outside if the weather is nice. What else? Let's see… as you can tell already, I love joking around. It's what keeps me going in life. Never smoked. Never drank. I'm a sucker for sugar. It's not good for us but it tastes so good! During my free time I'll pick up my guitar and compose a new song. I've been working on something and not quite done yet. I also like to watch Wrestling. Sometimes during the shows I will comment and everyone knows when it's time for Raw or Smackdown they better not disturb me. Um... Oh, I'm a dog lover. The bigger the dog the more I'll love it. I guess that's it for now. Don't really know what else to say."

"Play your piece." She said.

"What?"

"The song you're working on. Play it. Please?"

Ryan took the guitar that was behind him standing on the corner and tuned it. "Promise not to laugh?" he asked. She nodded and listened to him. He didnt play too loud due to everyone sleeping. When he finished she clapped and commented on how beautiful it was. The two continued to talk until the break of dawn.

"I better go. They may think I ran away from here." She joked and got off the bed. Ryan stood up and walked her back to her room. "Thanks." She said. "Hey, I had to. You never know what hoodlums lurk in these hallways. Times are different now. You need a manly man to protect you from getting robbed." He joked. "I'm glad I could count on you to protect me then!" she replied.

Ryan hugged her and Stephanie held his hand. "Thanks for staying up with me and making me forget why I'm here."

"That's what friends are for. Get your rest, beautiful." He whispered and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She blushed and let go of his hand allowing him to go back to his room. She closed the door and fell asleep feeling a little happier than she has over the past few days thanks to Ryan.


	7. A Family Affair

"Guess who?" a voice asked from behind. Stephanie's eyes were covered by someone's hands but she didn't even have to guess who it was. She spun around and right there in front of her were her three children.

"Oh, my girls! How I've missed you so much!" she said with so much joy as she hugged them all at once. She squeezed them tightly in her arms and kissed them all on their cheeks.

"We miss you too, mommy." Vaughn replied.

Stephanie looked up and saw Paul standing by the door smiling at his family. It was the first time in a long time his wife was genuinely happy. She stood up and walked over to him. "Thank you." She whispered to him as her voice cracked. Tears rolled down her cheeks but Paul wiped them away. "None of those today, okay? They're gonna be here with you for a while so let's make it a fun day." He ordered. She took in a deep breath and exhaled. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right." She replied. She held his hand and the two walked into the room.

"Mommy, when are you coming back home?" Murphy asked her innocently.

"I promise, baby, mommy will be back by the time school is over. When I do come back, we will take that trip to DisneyWorld like I promised." She assured. The girls cheered and all Stephanie could do was hate herself for lying to her daughters. She faked her smile and laughs but deep down inside she was screaming and crying because she knew she will never be able to take them.

"Why don't you show mom what you made for her?" Paul asked his daughters. They hurried to the backpacks that were on the floor and opened on of their bags with excitement. Aurora took out from her bag a scrapbook they created and showed it to their mother. The hardcover was black and on the front was a family trip they took together smiling and look happy for the camera. When Stephanie opened the book, she saw there were pictures of her with her kids from the moment they were born to the most recent picture taken. There were pictures from birthday celebrations, dance recitals, Halloween costumes and parties, pictures of the family just goofing off and posing silly for the camera, and even sentimental pictures of each other hugging.

"The girls thought it would be a good idea to make an album for you if you ever miss them and everyday they'll add more pictures to the album." Paul explained. She looked through the album and cherished every picture that was put in the album. "I love this." She said.

"Really?" Aurora asked. "Would I ever lie to you girls? This is a great idea." She told her. She placed the album by her nightstand and wanted to ask how their day was.

"So what happened in school today?"

"We had our spelling test. I got a 90. I spelled 'receive' wrong. I always forget the 'I before E except after C rule'." Aurora replied. "Honey, don't worry about it. We all make those little mistakes. Has daddy practiced with you?" she asked. "He did. It was my fault. I was rushing and didn't check twice at my work." Aurora said. "Aurora, sweetie, don't blame yourself. Next time just take your time. Be the last person if you have to be. It doesn't make you look dumb. It makes you look smarter because you are showing your friends that you're working harder and making sure you know your stuff."

"Is that why you are awake for a long time some nights?" Murphy asked. "Yes, honey. Sometimes I also have tests like you but a little different. I have to read and make sure that when I send some papers to important people I wrote down everything that is supposed to be in those papers. Otherwise Mr. Johnson from California will call and say 'Hey, Ms. McMahon, you told me you were going to let us sell WWE movies in all the stores. You didn't write that in this paper you sent me'. So I have to make sure everything that I promised them and ask them for is written. We don't want any confusion. So my test is really 'Can Mommy Remember Everything She Promised the People?" "Oh, so your test is more about remembering promises." Vaughn replied. "Good thing daddy isn't taking that test. He would fail, big time. He forgot to buy us the ice cream he promised us." Aurora joked. Alt he girls, including Stephanie, looked at Paul. Poor Paul, he was outnumbered and began to stammer. "But, hey… I – It was—we didn't…"

"Honey, it's okay. When you guys are going home, he will buy you some ice cream." Stephanie told them. She looked back at Paul and he gave her the 'I give up' look.

"Before we leave, and before I forget, let's take a picture together so we can add it to the album." Paul said changing the subject. He whipped out his cell phone and the family took several pictures together. Some of just the girls together, then with their mother, and finally a few silly family shots.

"Oh, I want you to meet someone!" Stephanie told them. She jumped off her bed and disappeared out the door.

"Should we follow her?" Vaughn asked her father. "I'm not sure." He answered back as he laughed.

Stephanie knocked on the door furiously and immediately the door swung open.

"What? What? Is everything okay?" Ryan asked. "Yes! Come with me!" she answered excitedly and grabbed him by the arm. She dragged him down the hall as he asked what was going on. When she entered, Ryan saw why she was so excited.

"Guys, I want you to meet a friend. This is Ryan."

In shock, Ryan didn't know what to say. Standing in front of him was one of the most recognized wrestlers, Triple H. Additionally, her children were also standing in front of him. He wasn't nervous but rather, felt humbled that she wanted him to meet her family.

"Nice to meet, Ryan." Paul smiled and extended his arm to shake his hand. "It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Triple H, sir." Ryan nervously said as he shook his hand. "Just call me Paul." He replied.

"And these 3 are my girls." Stephanie told him as she knelt down and hugged them from behind. Ryan knelt down and smiled at them.

"Ahh. Let me guess. You must be Aurora…," he said as he pointed at her. "You must be Rapunzel…," he said as he pointed to Murphy. "And you must be Cinderella." He smiled at Vaughn.

"Hey, you got mine and Murphy's names wrong!" Vaughn laughed. "I did? Your mother told me she has 3 princesses."

Stephanie and Ryan exchanged a warm smile. Paul saw in his wife's eyes that Ryan was helping her stay positive after all that she's been through. She kissed her girls and had a playful group hug with them. "He's right. I did tell him I have 3 princesses. I love you girls so much." She told them. They laughed and played with her as Ryan and Paul stood by the wall watching.

"So how is she doing here?"

"Better. She was really bummed the first couple of days. I introduced myself and wanted her to feel a little comfortable here. She's starting to talk to others here too. Usually she will hang out with me and my other friends here will join us and I'd introduce them to her. I can't say she's thrilled to be here but I try to remind her that she shouldn't think about it." Ryan explained. "That's good. I really appreciate it, man. I've never been away from her this long but it kills me more that she wants to do this all on her own. I wish I was there to help her and be there to hold her hand during the chemo sessions and whenever she's feeling drained. I feel helpless." Paul explained. Ryan looked at Paul and shook his head. "Don't feel that way. She told me that it was her decision to come here. You are helping her. Don't feel helpless. If you stopped her from staying here, then you'd feel helpless. She's getting the best help here. You visit her everyday and you even brought her children to visit her. She's lucky to have a good guy like you. I don't think I've seen her smile that much since she came here." He explained.

Paul looked over Ryan's shoulder and saw his girls playing and laughing with their mother. He knew Ryan was right.

"I appreciate all the help and support you're giving her. At least there's someone here who she can count on and turn to if she needs it." Paul said as he patted him on the shoulder. "Stephanie is a friend to me. She's a good person. She deserves nothing but the best around her. The least I could do is just say a few jokes to get her mind off all this. It works sometimes. Other times I just remind her that everything will be okay. That being optimistic does work wonders and it calms her down." Ryan explained as he looked at her.

"Hey, I'm gonna get going. You guys enjoy your family time. I will go and finish reading my book." Ryan told Paul. "Yeah, sure, man. It was nice meeting you again and thanks for everything."

"It's my pleasure."

Ryan walked over to Stephanie and the girls and sat beside them.

"So, sorry for the bad news but I have to get going." Ryan told Stephanie. "Aww, why?" Murphy whined. "Don't be rude, Murphy." Stephanie sternly told her. "No, no, don't be so harsh on her. I actually was reading and you interrupted me," he told Stephanie. He then leaned over to the girls. "Your mom has a habit of always interrupting people. Did she do that at home too?"

The girls laughed and nodded. "Oh, thanks for telling me now, girls." Stephanie joked. She got up with Ryan and walked over to the door to meet Paul.

"Thanks for coming and meeting my family."

"Thank you for allowing me. You have 3 beautiful little girls. And Paul is a cool dude. I know you guys want to spend some quality time together, so I'll let you go ahead and continue. It's good to see you smile again like that." Ryan told the two of them. "I'm glad she has someone to talk to and turn to if she's feeling down. It was nice meeting you, Ryan. Hope to see you again." Paul said and shook his hand. With that, Ryan left and Stephanie and Paul went back to play with the girls.

A couple of hours later, visiting hours were over therefore Paul and the girls had to go back. She walked outside with them to the car and she helped him get the girls into the car. After successfully getting that job done, Stephanie stood by the driver side of the door and held Paul's hand.

"I'll miss you." Her voice cracked as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Hey, hey. None of that now. We had a great time all of us. Don't cry. You have the album and I'm going to come back tomorrow with the pictures for you to put into the album. Just think of the fun we had today. Before you know it, I'll be back. Okay?" he comforted her. He wiped the tears from her cheeks and gave her a kiss.

"I have to go now." He whispered. "Okay." She said softly with much sadness. He got into his SUV and rolled down the window. After turning on the car he gave her one more kiss and pulled away. He drove off as she waved goodbye to her family.

When she returned back, instead of returning to her room, she knocked on Ryan's door. When he opened the door, she broke down and cried in his arms. He brought her inside and the two talked all night to make her feel better.


	8. A Turn For The Worse

A months since her admission, Stephanie met with Paul and they went to meet with Dr. Meyers at the hospital. They scheduled another MRI and CT Scan to see if there has been any signs of improvement. If so, the plan was for her to be released from the hospice and to get treatment at home.

After spending an entire day at the hospital, she was cleared to be released and returned to the hospice.

"I wish there was a way for me to just sneak in and spend the night here with you to comfort you."

"It is what it is, right?" Stephanie asked sadly. She hugged him tightly and gave him a kiss. "I'll see you in a few hours." Paul reminded her. Stephanie displayed half a smile and nodded. "I love you. Tell the girls I miss them and love them." Stephanie reminded him. "I will." He replied.

They said their goodbyes and he went back home. Stephanie walked through the doors and noticed how quiet and eerie it was. Everyone must have been inside. The staff welcomed her back and continued to work. Stephanie walked over to her room but before entering she noticed the light was on. _Strange._ She thought. She could have sworn her light was off all day. She walked up to the door and grasped onto the doorknob. She held her breath and very quietly she twisted it and pushed the door open just a little. Slowly she opened it more only to see Ryan waiting for her.

"Jesus, Ryan you scared the hell out of me!" she scolded him quietly. "I'm sorry. Sorry. I was waiting for you to return." He explained. "Well I can see that!" she continued. "Would you just close the door and get in here before we get in trouble!" he told her as he pulled her in and closed the door. "Get in trouble? What the hell did you do?" she asked him with much confusion. Ryan walked over to the small fridge that she had in her room and took out two small plates with something she hadn't seen in a while: chocolate cake.

"Ryan, what did you do? Steal this?" she asked with a smile. "Not really. We aren't really allowed to have anything sweet at this hour. So shush before someone hears us." He said and handed her a plate and a spoon. "So you snuck it in my room. Gee, thanks. I hope you own up and take the blame when we get caught." Stephanie joked. "Not when. If. The key word is if. As in, 'If you stop talking to loudly, we won't get caught'." Ryan joked. Stephanie looked at him unamused for his joked. "Okay fine." She replied. "Good. Come on, dig in." he said excitedly but before he could even cut his piece of the cake, Stephanie asked what the reason was for him bringing cake and waiting all day until her arrival to eat it.

"Well," he began and put his plate down. "It's my birthday."

Stephanie's jaw dropped. "And you were just going to eat it without even telling me?" she exclaimed. Ryan debated on how to answer that. "Well… I was going to tell you. After we ate it." He said. "Well you aren't eating it yet." She informed him. She went through her nightstand and took out her tablet. After turning it on, Stephanie looked through the app store and downloaded a specific app.

"No birthday is complete without singing the song and having candles on the cake." She reminded him and turned her tablet over to show a birthday cake with candles on it. Stephanie sang the birthday song and Ryan laughed and hid his face in his hands. After she finished, she told him to make a wish and blow the candles. He thought for a while about what to wish for before smiling at her and blowing out the digital candles on the tablet. Stephanie cheered and put away the tablet before finally sinking her teeth into that piece of chocolate cake.

"So what did you wish for?" she asked. "Can't say or it won't come true." Ryan reminded her. "That's true. Is it at least realistic like asking for a toy?" she asked. "Yes." He laughed. The two finished eating their cake before talking for a while.

"So where did you go?"

"I went to see my doctor. I had to do an MRI and CT Scan to see if there has been any changed with the tumor. I'm crossing my fingers that with all that chemotherapy, it's shrunk a little." Stephanie explained. "Well I have faith that you'll be better in no time." Ryan said.

Just then, a pain ran down her right arm. Stephanie held her arm and Ryan asked if she was okay. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. That was strange. Not sure where that came from." She explained. "Maybe I better get the nurse." He suggested. Stephanie shook her head. "No. I'll be fine. It must have just been from the tests today. Probably just the stress from today." She explained. Worried and concerned, Ryan sat closer to her on the bed. "Are you sure you're okay? I can just ask the nurse to come and take a look." He said again. "Ryan, I'm fine!" she said with anger. He backed away and felt uncomfortable. He grabbed the paper plates and threw them away before wishing her goodnight and leaving to return to his room.

The next morning, Stephanie saw Ryan outside playing his guitar and walked over to him.

"What are you playing?" she asked feeling a little embarrassed after her treatment towards him last night. "Just something I've been working on for a while. How are you feeling?" he asked her as he was playing his guitar. He didn't want to make any eye contact with her since the incident last night. "Ryan, I'm sorry for last night. I didn't mean for that to happen. It wasn't me. I mean… it was me, but… with this fucking tumor, I can't control my emotions sometimes." She explained. He stopped playing his guitar and looked at her. "Steph, you don't need to apologize. It's fine." He assured. "No, it's not, Ryan. Because here you are, the sweetest guy here, the most optimistic guy who cares about everyone else but himself. You act as though you have no Leukemia. Like you're some… answer to our prayers. You stay up late at night just for my sake yet never once have you asked me for help. It's always someone else asking for yours. I hate that. I hate that you have to pretend to be okay when you know you're not. I hate that you're such a nice person and you're fighting for your life but… but you would rather make sure someone else is okay instead of yourself. And I hate that you have to fake it all." Stephanie said.

Ryan turned to face her and put his guitar down. "You wanna know why I do what I do? A long time ago, when I was about 10, I was coming home from school and I heard this song at the bakery when my friends and I stopped to buy some brownies. It was 'Don't Fear the Reaper' by Blue Oyster Cult. It was about not fearing Death. It will eventually come and find us so why be scared of it? To this day, I follow that song. I don't fear the Reaper because if not today, tomorrow, or the next he will come to me. All I can do is be happy, help others, and just live my life each day until he finds me. Last night when you got upset at me, I knew I annoyed you. I wasn't angry at you. I saw you were getting annoyed and I wanted to leave because I knew you had a rough day and you needed some alone time. I never gave you that opportunity and it was my fault. I shouldn't have come into your room like that but I was excited to see you and celebrate my birthday with you. You cooled off. I got my rest. End of story. Today is a new day, right? We just need to remind ourselves that the past is just that: the past. Forget it and move on and focus on today. You can't constantly bring yourself down and beat yourself up. Always look forward to the next adventure. That's what makes life so beautiful."

Stephanie had no words. Instead she just rested her head on his shoulder and looked up at the sky. Everything he said was true. She knew he was right. The only problem was, she didn't know how to do that. She never lived her life that way. She has always been so involved and focused with work that she never learned to live and have fun.

About 24 hours later, Paul and Stephanie were in Dr. Meyers' office and discussing the results from the MRI and CT Scan.

"Any good news?" Paul asked. Dr. Meyers unfolded his hands and tapped the tips of fingers. He sat for a moment silently before telling them the results.

"There has been no change."

Paul and Stephanie looked down in disappointment. They were hoping that although it is a life threatening tumor, that the treatment would give them some sort of hope. "Nothing at all? Come on, doctor. She's doing all this radiation and chemotherapy. How can there be absolutely no progress?" Paul asked. "The problem is the tumor regenerates itself if does shrink. The chemo does work. The problem is this thing has taken a life of its own. It is virtually impossible to kill it." The doctor explained.

"So I'm really going to die from this, aren't I?" Stephanie asked as she looked at him with no emotion. The doctor did not want to answer her question. She accepted her fate and stood up. Without a word, she walked out of the office and Paul chased after her.

"Steph! Steph! Wait up!"

"Paul, I just wanna go back." She said. "Honey, are you –" Paul started. "I'm fine. Just take me back." She interrupted him. Paul didn't know what to do or say. He stood for a moment to look at her. She got into the SUV and waited for him to get in. When he finally did, he drove off and dropped her off at the hospice. Without even saying goodbye, she got out of the car and entered the hospice.


	9. The Harsh Reality

"Stephanie, you need to come out. It's lunch time. You need to eat." A nurse told her through the door.

"Go away. I'm not hungry." Stephanie called from her room.

Stephanie refused to come out from her room and wouldn't allow anyone to come in. She never left her room since the night before when she returned from the hospital. The nurse was getting impatient and called for the Director to try and talk her.

The Director walked over and knocked on her door.

"Stephanie? It's Michael, the Director. Do you mind if I come in?"

"No. Just please go away." She pleaded sadly.

"Stephanie, we won't force you to eat if that's what you want. We just need to know if you are okay." He explained. "I'm fine. Just go please. I want to be left alone."

The Director looked over to the nurse and whispered something to her. She walked away and Michael stood by her door waiting.

Ryan walked out of his room and heard the commotion.

"What's going on?" he asked a patient who passed by.

"Stephanie isn't coming out. The nurse and Michael have been trying to get her to come out to eat for about 10 minutes."

Ryan walked up to her door and asked Michael what was going on.

"She's not coming out." He replied. "Do you mind if I try? Maybe she will talk to me." He suggested. Michael stepped aside and allowed Ryan to give it a shot.

"Steph? It's me. Ryan. Are you okay?"

"Please just leave me alone." She said sounding as though she was ready to cry. "Can I come in? Talk to me. Maybe it'll help."

Stephanie didn't respond for a moment. Michael looked at Ryan. The nurse came back with a set of keys and handed them to the Director. Ryan raised his hand to signal them to wait a moment.

"Just you. No one else."

Michael sighed and told Ryan to go in. They walked away and Ryan asked if she could unlock the door. Moments later he heard the door unlock. He walked in and found Stephanie sitting in the corner with her knees up and her hands covering her head as she rested it on her knees. He heard her sniffling and sobbing quietly and immediately he went over to her.

"Hey. Hey what's wrong?" he asked sweetly. She looked up and Ryan noticed her bloodshot eyes from crying. "My hair," she told him and ran her fingers through it only for it to start falling off. "I'm losing my hair!" she sobbed uncontrollably. She screamed in sadness and right away, Ryan sat beside her and hugged her. She buried her face in his arms and continued to scream. "It'll be okay. I promise." He assured her as he rocked her. "Why? Why is this happening to me?" she asked. "I don't know. I don't know but everything will be okay." He kept promising. He remembered something and let go of her.

"I'll be right back, okay?"

"Where are you going?" she asked innocently. "To my room. I'll be right back. I promise." He answered and left her room. He was gone for about 5 minutes but to Stephanie it felt like forever. She paced back and forth in her room impatiently as she kept running her fingers through her hair. The amount of hair falling off scared her to death when she noticed just how much was falling to the floor. Her heart began to race, her eyes widened with fear, and she fell to the floor screaming with pain in her heart. Immediately, Ryan emerged and ran to her.

"Stop it! That's it. You're not going to cry anymore!" he ordered her as he picked her up off the floor. She looked at him and tried so hard to hold back the tears but they continued to fall down her cheeks. Ryan picked up the item he dropped on the floor when attending to her and handed it to Stephanie.

"Look at me," he requested from her and she looked at him. "Take this. Don't worry, I never wore it. Put this on and cover your head. It'll help." And he handed her a black skull cap. She took the cap and Ryan helped her put it on. After he did, he smiled. "I like the look on you." He told her. He helped her stand up and walked her over to the bathroom where he had her face the mirror.

"Keep this on, okay? It won't stop it from falling off but it will help you forget about it." He instructed her as they looked into the mirror. Stephanie wiped away the tears and looked at herself. A whole new person was reflected. It wasn't the Stephanie McMahon business shark who could get anything she wanted. This time, it was Stephanie McMahon the woman fighting for her life. It was a scary image for her to accept.

"I don't want to die." She cried. Ryan turned her around and faced him with his hands on her shoulders. "Listen to me. You are not going to die. Okay? You're going to win this battle and you're going to live. You'll see your children grow up and marry someone. You'll see them become parents. You'll grow old and watch your grandchildren grow up before your very eyes. Understand? You are going to beat this and you're going to live long enough to see it all. I don't care what those doctors say to you. No medical degree in the world can guarantee your life or death. It's _your_ body. _You_ are in charge of your own fate. _You_ are the one who can decide whether you want to live or die. Not those doctors! Prove them wrong, Stephanie. Fight this battle and show them that even though they said it will kill you, _you_ will kill it instead! That's the Stephanie McMahon I know. Not some weak woman who will accept the words of some fancy doctor with a degree on his wall. You've fought for everything you earned. It wasn't handed to you. Now you fight some more. Fight this and win it. Show the world who you are!"

His words hit Stephanie deep in her heart because he was right. She looked down and began to cry once more before looking back up at him. "I'm scared." She whispered. He pulled her in closer and hugged her. "I know you are. That's what makes life so crazy. You never know what will happen. As long as you fight hard, you'll always get what you want. You want to live. I want you to live. We will do it together. I promise." He said and squeezed her tightly.

"Now, how about we get some food. You may be watching that figure, but screw that, I'm hungry. Wanna join me?" he joked. "Can we eat here?" she asked. "Sure." He answered. The two walked back to the bed and Ryan told her to wait while he went and got food for the two of them. When he left, she went back and looked at herself in the mirror in the bathroom. She took off the skull cap and looked at her thinning hair. She studied her hair and the areas where her scalp was beginning to show. She put the cap back on and looked at herself in the mirror as though she was staring at an enemy in front of her. She wasn't going to let that person in the reflection beat her. That person in the cap will disappear soon and the Stephanie McMahon she was, is, and will be will come back.


	10. A Sky Full of Wishes

The next several nights were not so easy for Stephanie. She was starting to have a difficult time holding and grasping onto items. Her muscles were slowly weakening. She would often forget something then remember moments later. She could see that her body was unable to fight this tumor unless she tried her hardest but it was not always an easy fight. Her body became more frail and her worst night came true: she was starting to look like the patients. What was once a woman who kept up with her appearances, she was now the opposite. It wasn't that she didn't care. It was because she was tired. Tired of fighting but had to. Tired of hoping but had to. Tired of faking a smile but had to. The only thing she would look forward to every morning was seeing Ryan. The only reason that she kept fighting to live because she knew that without him and his help, she would not have made it this far. This night was not going to be any different.

"Psst. Steph, open the door. Hurry." He whispered from the other side. She got up from her bed and walked over to her door to let him in. He hurried inside and had a big grin on his face.

"What did you do now?" she asked. "Nothing! Did you look outside your window?" he replied. With a puzzled look, she walked over to the window and looked outside. "There's nothing." She said. "Look up." He told. When she did, she saw the most beautiful sight she had ever laid her eyes on: a sky full of stars. It was a rare opportunity to witness something like this in Greenwich right by the major cities.

"Oh, my God." She gasped. "I know! Isn't it amazing?" he asked and walked over to the window with her. "It's beautiful." She answered. "Come with me." He said and grabbed her by the hand. He led her to the door and walked down the hallway together. "Where are we going?" she asked. "To see the stars, silly." He replied with a smile across his face. "What? No. Ryan we'll get in trouble." She said and let go of his hand. He stopped in his tracks and faced her. "What's the matter?" he asked. "We can't leave the hospital." Stephanie reminded him. "Who said we're leaving?" Ryan challenged her. He held her hand and led her to the stairwell. He looked to his left, then his right, and opened the door. The two snuck up the stairs, climbing 3 flights up and getting to the top. There was a window above that led to the roof. It just needed to be pushed up but climbing to the window above was no easy task. The trick was to get onto the windowsill and push the window from the ceiling up in order to open it. Since Ryan was tall enough, he climbed and managed to push it up and open it.

"Okay. That was the easy part. Now comes the hard part: getting up there." He told her. He inched his way closer to the edge of the windowsill and grabbed the edges of the window from up above. It took a few tries but he managed to climb up and get to the roof. He popped his head out and told her it was her turn.

A little scared of getting hurt and getting caught, she was hesitant at first. Ryan guided her through the whole thing and promised her nothing will happen to her. Taking a big risk, she climbed the windowsill and got to the edge, just like how Ryan had done so. He reached down and grabbed her arm.

"Ready? Hold tight." He warned her and pulled her off the windowsill. Scared at first, she let out a yelp before laughing and helping Ryan pull herself up.

"Look at you, you rule breaker. You did it." He complimented her. She smiled and stood up with her head held high. She looked up and saw the starry night sky. "It's… beautiful." She gasped. "Yeah. Isn't it?" he added. "It's funny. Paul and I would take the girls further up north to see stars like this because there are never stars in Connecticut. Not as much as tonight, that is… and the one night that this happens in Connecticut… I can't be there to share the experience with my family." She cried. Ryan stood beside her and comforted her. "Just know that they are remembering you right now and wishing the same thing."

She wiped the tears and tried to stay strong. Rather than sulking she wanted to enjoy the moment and share it with Ryan.

"How often do you come here?" she asked him. "Not too often. Only when the weather is nice. I'll come when I see the sky looks pretty as the sun rises. Helps me get away from reality. I never came at night. So if you think about it, it's our first time up here together. Your first time ever. My first time at night." He pointed out. He laid down on the black tar and stretched his arms above his head. Stephanie joined him and they looked up at the night sky together.

"Oh hey, look! The Big Dipper." He noticed. "Where?"

Ryan picked up her hand and pointed her fingers to the stars that created the constellation. She looked at him then sat up.

"What's something you've always wanted?"

Ryan sat up and thought about it. "Hmm. You mean like a million dollars? Because if you want someone in your Will, please include my name." he joked. "I'm serious. What have you always wanted to do or see?" she asked. Ryan held back his answer at first but then decided it would be okay to tell her. "Promise not to laugh?" he asked. "Promise." She answered. "It sounds silly, but… I've always wanted to fall in love." He answered. Stephanie's jaw dropped. "You've never been in love? But… why?" she asked like a naïve child. Ryan shrugged his shoulders and didn't seem to care that he's never experienced such a strong feeling. "I don't know. Maybe I never came across the right person. I heard the typical cliché stuff like getting butterflies in your stomach or your heart pounding when you see them or even hear their name. I've had girlfriends, don't get me wrong, but I've never felt like _that_ with them." He explained. Stephanie still could not believe it. She was speechless. "You're such a good person. You're kind, you're handsome, you have such a good heart. How could someone like you not ever experience that?" she asked again. "Who knows? Hey, maybe I will someday. It takes a while to find the right person. So hopefully I get to experience all of that." He replied. "I hope you do. I don't know how to describe it. It's just… a good feeling. You don't care about anyone else or anything else. You just want to be with them 24/7. When you see them you can't help but smile from ear to ear. You feel weightless. You realize that to someone you feel important… and that's the greatest feeling in the world." Stephanie described as she overlooked the city lights and thought about Paul.

Ryan knew she was thinking about the love between her and Paul and how he yearned for a love like that sometime soon.

"So you wanna hear something funny?" Stephanie asked him. "You have jokes? Do tell!" he replied shocked at this. "What do mean I have jokes? You've seen me on Raw. I'm fun!" she exclaimed while defending herself. "Okay, okay, sheesh!" he complained in a joking manner. "Shut up. You're lucky you're a nice guy otherwise I'd kick you." She warned him. "Oh, I'm so scared." He taunted. "Can I tell you the story or not?" she laughed. "Yes, yes. Go ahead. What's up?"

"A few months ago, when I was at WrestleMania, I saw this guy with a white shirt and a large sign that said 'Read My Shirt, Steph' so being that he was front row and literally right in front of me as I'm in the ring, I had to go see just what the hell this shirt said. At the same time I was a little scared because I was afraid it would say something that would hurt me. So I'm in the ring and was able to read what it said. After I get out of the ring, I walked right up to this guy this guy, who had a black sharpie ready on him, hands it to me and checked off the 'YES' box. He cheered and everyone around him cheered. I posed for a few pictures with him before heading back but it was the funniest moment ever." She said. "What did the shirt say?" Ryan asked. "Will You Go To Prom With Me? I loved it!" she answered. The two laughed and Ryan agreed that it was funny but cute as well.

"He must be bummed that you won't be able to attend." He said. "Maybe. Prom was such a lame thing, I can't believe I even went to it." She replied. "At least you went. I didn't go." Ryan replied. Stephanie looked at him in shock. "You didn't go? Why?"

"Growing up, money was a problem for us. We didn't have much and so going to prom was out of the question. My parents were the type to work their asses off to make sure we all got to enjoy our childhood but it was me who was adamant and told them I didn't want to go. Sometimes I regret it and just wished I went just to experience it, but then other times I thank myself for not going because it would have been a waste of money. The suit, the limo, the corsage and of course, asking someone out. It was too much a stress factor than it was fun. Instead I just celebrated it with friends on the last day of school by going down to the lake and having a barbecue." He explained.

"I can't believe you never went to your prom." She replied. "Eh. It's no big deal. What about you? What have you always wanted to do or see or… anything." He asked while changing the subject. She thought about it. It wasn't an easy question. What could she have wanted when she had everything and saw everything in her short amount of life thus far? "Oh! I know. And don't laugh because I think mine will top yours." She started. "I won't." he said. "I've always wanted to jump and do those crazy high flying stunts on a large trampoline." She admitted. Ryan began to laugh hysterically and agreed with her. It definitely topped his. "You promised you wouldn't laugh!" she whined. "I'm sorry. I'm not laughing at the trampoline thing. I'm laughing because you actually were right, it topped mine." He explained. "Well I didn't have a normal childhood, remember." She reminded him. "I know. Sometimes I wish I had your life. Have all the money in the world. Buy whatever I wanted. Growing up and struggling wasn't all that great. I was always picked on. Had been bullied. High school was tough but college was easier. I managed to get a job and was able to save up and buy whatever I could afford. But there were those days where I wished I had woken up and just saw a pile of money around me to make all this problems go away." He explained.

"Meanwhile I wanted to opposite. I wish I didn't have all that money. It was hard for me to tell the fake friends apart from the true ones. Everyone wanted to talk to me because they all wanted my money. They thought 'Oh hey, let's be friends with Stephanie. She can give us a ride in her limo and have parties at her home since her parents are never home'. It was more hurtful when I'd be interested in a guy but he'd be interested in my money. I was depressed for a while and even blamed my parents for all of it. Slowly I was able to tell everyone apart and pick out the true friends from the fakes. Believe it or not I was bullied because everyone thought I was better than them. They thought I was that snobby rich girl but in reality I was just a teenage girl just trying to get good grades and finish school. The bullying was the worst. The things they would say to me… it hurt. On one hand I wanted to kill them. But on the other I couldn't because I didn't want to get myself in trouble nor put my family name to shame. So I absorbed it all in." Stephanie explained. For the first time she opened up and expressed her feelings about her wealth while growing up.

It's funny how the things I want is what you have but wished you never had it." Ryan said. "Life is funny." She explained. "It sure is." He responded back.

The two stayed up on the roof for several more hours talking about each other's lives and sharing secrets before going back to their rooms and getting the rest.


	11. Just Enjoy Life

That morning, Stephanie underwent another session of chemo and radiation. She stayed in her room and a nurse brought her food but she had no appetite. Instead, she struggled to sit up on her bed and even walk. Her head pounded and she began coughing.

"Fuck my life, what the hell is going on?" she asked herself as she held onto her head. She saw that her medication was waiting for her on the nightstand with a glass of water next to her food. She went over and swallowed her pills with the water and took a few bites of her food. She stayed in her room until Paul arrived. He saw that she was getting weak and asked that he get a wheelchair for her. The two went outside and talked.

"What is going on with me?" she asked him. "Baby, you gotta be strong, okay? I've been contacting doctors from all over to try and get some help but I'm still waiting for their response. This will be treated. You won't have to suffer anymore." He told her. "That's good to know, Paul. I'm just so tired right now." She said weakly. "It's just for a little while longer. You'll see." Paul assured. "What is going on at work? Is everything okay there without me? Has anyone been updating the offices in California and China about expanding the company offices in Europe? There was a conference that I was supposed to sit in on yesterday. Did anyone take my place? What about –"

"Whoa! Take it easy, Steph. Everything is running smoothly there. I got everything under control. I contacted Shanghai about the expansion proposition. I also sat in on the meeting and told them you were unable to attend and that you had left me in charge of your responsibilities until further notice. Everything is fine there. I promise there is no chaos there." He assured. Stephanie felt a little more relaxed knowing all conferences and deadlines were met.

"The last thing you need to worry about is work. What I want to know is, where you got this little hat. It looks cute on you."

Stephanie smiled and Paul leaned down and kissed her. "Can I rock the burglar look?" she asked. "You make one cute little robber." Paul complimented.

"Can you take me back inside? I feel cold." She requested. Paul hated that she was becoming so weak. He brought her back inside and sat with her inside.

She sighed and looked out the window. Paul stood behind her and kissed her cheek. "How are the girls?" she asked. "Good. They wanted to see you but I didn't think it would have been a good idea." Paul explained. "No. I don't want them to see me like this," Stephanie replied. There was an uneasy feeling between the two. "Just go home, please. I'm not feeling so good and I think it's best I just get some rest. Maybe by tomorrow I'll feel better." She said. Paul sighed and ran his hand over his head. "Fine. I'll be back tomorrow. And Steph… I promise you, I will find a way to fix all this." He swore. She smiled and knew he meant it. He kissed her and left the hospice.

Paul arrived home and threw his keys across the room. For the first time he felt helpless and there was nothing he could do to help save his wife. He went to the living room where his laptop was and logged on to find any kind of information to help her.

Later that day, Ryan stopped by to see how she was doing. He saw she was sleeping and left her alone.

"Hey, can I speak with you?"

Ryan entered the Director's office and closed the door behind him. After his meeting, he left with a big smile on his face. He grabbed his guitar from his room and went outside. He found an empty bench to sit on and began to play as everyone gathered around him and sang along with him.

That night, Stephanie was sitting in her bed reading a book when Ryan knocked on her door. She placed the book down and went to see what he wanted.

"You need to come with me." He said. "Why? Is everything okay?" she asked. "There's no time. Come! Before it's too late!" he said excitedly. She put on a heavy hoodie and slipped into her sneakers before heading out with Ryan. The two went outside to the back with Ryan holding her hand and leading the way.

"Ryan, what are we doing out here? We should be inside." She explained. "Stop always playing by the rules, Steph. You need to relax. Break them once in a while. Don't worry about that. You only live once, right? So let's enjoy life before we look back and hate ourselves for not doing all the fun stuff when we had the chance." He explained as he looked at her. "Ryan, where are you taking me?" she asked getting a little annoyed now. "You'll see. But first, you need to close your eyes." He told her. Stephanie trusted him and did just that. He held both of her hands and walked her around to the front.

"Okay. You ready?" he asked. She nodded with a huge smile on her face. "Open them!"

There in front of her, was something she'd never thought she'd see: a giant trampoline surrounded with a net for protection from falling off. She gasped and looked over to him. "Did you do this?" she asked with tears forming behind her eyes. "Well you always wanted to jump on one. So I pulled a few strings and made your dream come true." He said with such pride. "Can I go on it?" she asked. "No, Steph. I brought it here for you to see. Now let's go back inside. Show's over." He said with sarcasm. The two laughed and Ryan went right to the trampoline. He helped her get inside and he joined her.

Stephanie began to jump but was too embarrassed to show that she was having fun and feeling like a little kid. "Oh what the hell? Come on, you said you wanted to do those fancy flips. Let's go! Jump high!" he ordered. He made his way over to her and held her hand. He started jumping really high and guided Stephanie who then followed. Ryan would do tricks and Stephanie would copy him. "There you go! You got it now!" he cheered. Just then, all her problems and worries disappeared. She began to laugh loudly like how she always would. For a little while, she felt like a kid again. She felt like her old self again and for a moment, just a moment, she forgot she was sick. A gift she never thought she'd never receive.


	12. Second Chance

Over the next few weeks the weather began to change. The leaves changed colors and fell to the ground. Stephanie's condition was worsening. Her hair was almost completely gone and exposure to any cold air was out of the question. Her lungs were weakening. After walking for fifteen minutes, she would need to sit and catch her breath. Her attitude went from being hopeless in living to becoming optimistic and fighting to survive all thanks to Ryan. Paul had been in contact with several doctors from all over the world hoping that one would have some sort of experimental drug to help her but there was never any luck. He promised her she would live and he made sure that promised was kept.

While Stephanie was fighting for her life, Ryan was too. Unlike her, his condition was not as serious. His body was weakening and without the assistance of a cane or a wheelchair, he was unable to get around much but throughout the entire ordeal, he still managed to remain optimistic and continued to help Stephanie.

On a breezy and sunny weekend, Paul came to visit Stephanie.

"Hey baby. How was your night?" he asked after sitting beside her. "It isn't easy sleeping anymore. My whole body aches. I don't want to complain but I hate this feeling. I just wish I was home." She explained. Paul wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the head. "I know. Listen, I have some news. Don't get your hopes up too high just yet but I contacted a doctor from Switzerland and he finally responded back saying that his hospital is one of the few that has been selected for a drug trial for tumors. I gave your information and he said you are a candidate and would like to begin the trial immediately." He announced.

Her eyes grew wide and shined. Her smile was as big as ever. "So… you mean there's a chance?" she asked. "I'm hoping so. He said it's just a trial. It's a new medical treatment and they want to try it out. Babe, this is better than nothing. I'm still waiting for the response from the doctor but as soon as we get the OK from him, I'm flying you out there and we'll have to pray for the best." He replied.

She buried her face in his chest and weeped softly. "Hey. Why are you crying?" he asked her. She pulled her head away and wiped away her tears. "I just hope this the answer we've been looking for." She answered. "I don't care if it takes forever, Steph. I'm not giving up. Even if it means I have to lose an arm, I'll do whatever I have to to see you happy and healthy." Paul replied and gave her a kiss.

"Visiting hours are almost over. I better get going."

"Okay."

"I'll keep you updated on this. In the meantime, do what you've always been doing: stay strong and keep fighting." He advised. Stephanie smiled and nodded.

After Paul left, Stephanie went to see Ryan but noticed outside his door that he was asleep. She walked away and went back into her room and laid down thinking about everything that she has been through the past several months.

Suddenly, she had an idea and jumped to her feet. She hurried out of her room and went to see the Director who was on the phone with someone. When he saw her, he wrapped up his conversation and welcomed Stephanie inside.

"Ah, Stephanie. So good to see you. How are you?" Michael asked.

"Do you really want to know or should I give you the usual, 'Good and yourself?' remark?" Stephanie joked. Michael laughed as he rose to his feet and helped her to her seat which faced directly across from his table. When he sat back down, he folded his hands and smiled at her. "So, what brings you here?"

"Well, I know you probably are a busy guy. Take it from me, I think I know a thing or two about running a company. Or in your case, a building," she started. Michael laughed and nodded in agreement. "But I actually would like a favor from you."

"A favor? Okay. Well… what is it?"

"Well I have this idea which I would really like if you could help me out with it."

Michael sat back in his chair and gave her his full attention. "I'm listening. What do you have in mind?"

Stephanie went into full details about her idea and before she could even finish, Michael stopped her and gave her the green light.

"You- you mean you're okay with it?" she stammered. Michael nodded. "Stephanie, you have been nothing but a sweet person and a favorite among the patients and the staff. What you just asked from me, how could I say decline? It just defines who you are. I would be more than happy to assist you with this. Just tell me what day and I will get everything done for you."

An excited Stephanie laughed and cheered. Michael stood up as did Stephanie and she gave him a hug.

"Would it be possible to get everything done by tomorrow?" she asked. Michael paused to think about it. He looked through the calendar on his desk to see if anything would interfere with this plan but came up with nothing. "It absolutely is possible. I will get it done for you." He promised. He and Stephanie walked to the door and she reminded him of her requests. He assured that he wouldn't forget and a content Stephanie returned to her room.

The next morning, Stephanie stayed in her room and had a Skype meeting with her daughters who were spending the day with Paul's parents in New Hampshire. Her mother and father in law both spoke to her and asked how she was doing. Stephanie explained that Paul had found a doctor in Switzerland and that it could possibly be the answer they've all been looking for. She continued her Skype conversation with her daughters afterwards for few more minutes before blowing them kisses goodbye and ending the conversation.

"Did I catch you at a bad time?" Ryan asked as he stood by the door.

"No. Not at all. I just spoke to the girls. They're up in New Hampshire. Paul needed to go to Los Angeles for a Board meeting so having a weekend with grandma and grandpa wouldn't hurt."

"Cute. How are feeling?" he asked. "Well, compared to yesterday, no different. How about you?" she asked. "Have my trusty cane. That's all I have to say." He joked. "You look a little better." She noticed. Ryan raised his arms and pretended to flex as if he was a bodybuilder. "Yeah. These guns are definitely returning. Maybe I'll be the next WWE champion."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." She joked. Ryan's jaw dropped and shook his head. "Way to break my heart. My dreams are crushed!" he said dramatically. Stephanie walked up to him and had an idea. "Hey, I had a heart to heart talk with Michael. I asked if it's possible for you and I to get some dessert at that ice cream shop nearby. He was okay with it. As long as there's a nurse there with us of course. Do you want to come?" she asked. "I don't know, Steph. I'm kind of a big deal here. I'm a busy man. Today I was planning on swooning Mrs. Brady. Her jazz records are quite the collectibles." He answered. "So no?" she asked. "I can make an exception only because it's you. If it was anyone else, I'd decline. I'm choosing you over Mrs. Brady. Be grateful for that." He joked. "Great! So it's a date!" she announced. "Wait, what? A date? Hold on! So does that mean I have to pay for our date or are you paying since you asked me out? You know, I'm not a rich guy. You've got your billions. Can you pay for my $6 dessert today and I get you the next time?" he joked.

Stephanie pressed her lips and played along. She sighed and closed her eyes. "All right," and opened them. "But only this one time." She replied. Ryan laughed and hugged her. "Thanks, pal. I owe you."

"Just be ready in about an hour." She told him. "This really is a date, huh? Picking me up, buying me dessert. Just to let you know, I don't put out on the first date. For you I'll make an exception." Ryan joked again. Stephanie was shocked and laughed hysterically. "Just be ready by then." She replied. "Okay, okay."

Ryan walked back to his room and Stephanie searched for a change of clothes to wear and stay warm.

Right before leaving, Michael passed by and Stephanie informed him that they will be out for a bit for dessert. He told them to enjoy their day out and went about his way.

"My date with Stephanie McMahon. I'm going to email everyone about it." Ryan said with excitement in his voice.

"Don't forget that you were chaperoned." The nurse chimed in.

"Oh come on, Carol. Don't ruin it for me." Ryan whined.

"If you're going to be writing, you better be writing the whole thing and not leaving anything out." Carol joked.

"If Stephanie and I do end up sleeping together, I have to include that too?" Ryan asked.

"Who said I am? That is NOT going to happen." Stephanie immediately said. "I don't think Stephanie will be up for that, Ryan. No matter how adorable you are." She smiled. Ryan put his arm around the middle aged nurse with curly blonde hair and pushed Stephanie aside. "Hey, Carol. Wanna go on a date with me? Steph's paying." He said with as much seduction in his voice as he could.

"Hey!" Stephanie whined. "Sorry, Ryan. I think today you have a date with Stephanie. Don't break her heart. I promise I'll go out with you next time." Carol explained to Ryan. "You know, Ryan… you're such a ladies man." Stephanie joked. "All the ladies want a little bit of Ryan. I can't help it. I'm too irresistible." Ryan said with much pride. Carol and Stephanie laughed at him and continued their walk to the ice cream and dessert shop.

Upon arriving, the two ordered what they wanted. Ryan got a chocolate cake and Stephanie got a red velvet cheesecake.

"Get something, Carol." Stephanie told her. "Oh, no. This is your day. I don't want to ruin your little day." She explained. "Carol. Does it look like we don't want you here? Come on. Get something." Stephanie said. "Yeah, Carol. She's paying anyway." Ryan joked. Stephanie looked at him and looked back at Carol. "I think we should just kick him out and have a girl's day instead. He's getting annoying." She told her. "No! I'm sorry. Please don't stop loving me!" Ryan begged. Everyone laughed and again, Stephanie insisted that Carol get something to eat and join them. Carol did so and the three of them sat and enjoyed their dessert as they spent the next few hours eating dessert and enjoying a cup of coffee.

"Oh, my God it's getting dark. I didn't even notice the time. What time is it?" Stephanie asked Carol. She looked at her watch and told her it was 8:15pm.

"We better get going. We've been here for three hours? I'm sure Michael is wondering what happened to us." Ryan suggested. "Yeah. Carol is it possible to call and tell Michael we are heading back and that I apologize for being out so late?" Stephanie asked her. "I'm sure Michael won't mind. I'll call him right now." She answered. As she was dialing, Ryan and Stephanie cleaned up and began to walk back to the hospice with Carol behind them.

"Oh! Before I forget. There was something I found in the recreation room the other day I thought you might like. It was this vintage guitar and it had sheet music. I completely forgot to tell you about it. When we go in I'll show you. Maybe you can play the music or just look at the guitar. I'm sure you'll like it." Stephanie remembered. "Vintage guitar? Really? I've never come across it and I go there often." Ryan explained. "It was in the closet. Don't you ever look in closets?" Stephanie asked him. "Good point. I never do. Show me when we go in. I want to check it out."

The three entered shortly and Stephanie led the way to the recreation room.

"Where is everyone?" Ryan asked. "Everyone is at lockdown. Nurses are at the office and everyone is in their rooms until Michael is informed that we are back. Nothing to worry about. Just a safety precaution. I'll let him know right now that we are back while you two are heading to the rec room." Carol replied. "Oh. Okay. Thanks, Carol." Ryan said and Carol walked away to go find Michael.

Stephanie and Ryan arrived and turned on the light. Much to Ryan's surprise the recreation room was completely transformed. The fooseball table, pool tables, televisions and couches were replaced by tables and chairs, banners and streamers, and an obvious DJ who waited until the right moment to play. The entire staff, including Michael, and all the patients stood with smiles on their faces dressed in their best clothes.

"What is this, Steph?" Ryan asked. "You said you never went to prom. I brought prom to you. Get to re-live high school all over again for one night."

Ryan was speechless. He never thought that Stephanie would go above and beyond to do such a thing for him. Stephanie held his hand and looked at him with the biggest smile she ever displayed. "Ready to go back and be 18 again?"

With a smile and a nod, he let her lead the way and the party started with songs from 1982, the year he graduated from high school. Everyone danced to the oldies and had a great time.

At the end of the party, Stephanie thanked everyone and Michael for putting all this together in such a short time. The staff stayed behind to clean up and the patients all went back to their rooms to rest after a fun evening.

Stephanie walked with Ryan beside her down the hall and arrived at her room.

"I still can't believe you remembered after all these months and pulled it off." Ryan told her. "You did so much for me since the moment I arrived. This was the least I could do. You deserve it." She replied. "Thanks. I really don't know what else to say. I just still cannot believe you did this for me." Ryan said. "There's one more thing." She said and pulled him into her room. She looked through her playlist on her tablet and played a popular song from 1982.

"I believe I owe you a slow dance." She announced. It took a moment but Ryan finally recognized the song she played: Up Where We Belong. Stephanie extended her arm and Ryan walked over and held her hand. He placed his cane against the wall and the two began to slow dance to the song. To Ryan, he felt as though he was on Cloud 9. He felt weightless as he danced with Stephanie around the room.

After the song was over, Ryan knew it was time to end the night and go to sleep. Stephanie walked the few steps down the hall to his room with Ryan to wish him goodnight.

"Thanks. For everything. You have no idea how much this means to me. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd re-live my senior year and go to my prom. You gave me a second chance." Ryan told her. "Like I said earlier, you deserve it." She said. Ryan touched her shoulder and smiled. "You're a good person with such a big heart."

Stephanie hugged him tightly and proceeded to give him a kiss on the lips. When she pulled away, Ryan looked puzzled. "Never in your wildest dreams did you ever think you'd get a kiss from Stephanie McMahon either."

Ryan blushed and couldn't make any eye contact with her. "Goodnight, Ryan." She said with a smile and walked back to her room. Ryan closed the door behind him and laid in his bed. His smile was impossible to get rid of as he just experienced the most amazing night of his life. He turned off the light on his lamp and slowly fell asleep.


	13. A New Face

Stephanie woke up and noticed the time. It was almost 9:00AM; which meant she only had one more hour before breakfast was over. She jumped out of bed and quickly got ready. She brushed her teeth in her bathroom and showered. Rather than taking her time, she quickly hurried. She changed into a pair of jeans afterwards and a black shirt with a black hoodie and put on the skull cap that Ryan gave her. She made sure that she looked her best even though she was fighting for her life.

She quickly walked down the hallway and into the cafeteria where a few were sitting and eating their breakfast. Everyone was conversing and Stephanie noticed Ryan was nowhere to be found. Perhaps he ate earlier and was in his room. She didn't care for that and went and got herself some breakfast. Upon the selections, she chose a corn muffin with a bottle of orange juice and an apple. She sat at a table on her own and ate her food as she watched everyone eat.

"Mind if I join you?"

Stephanie looked up and noticed it was someone she's never seen before.

"Sure. Please, have a seat." She answered with a welcoming smile.

"Thanks. Sorry, I just got here last night and really don't know anyone." The young woman asked.

She was in her late 30's. Maybe early 40's. She had a bright smile with pearly white teeth. Her long blonde hair sat on her shoulders before she tied her hair back. Her rich brown eyes were big and strikingly beautiful. Stephanie did not hesitate and began speaking with her.

"I'm Stephanie. It's nice to meet you."

"Hi. I'm Sarah. Sorry if I'm interrupting you. All the other tables had people talking and I didn't want to interrupt them." Sarah explained.

"No, it's okay. Really. It's nice to meet you. How was your first night?" Stephanie asked. "It was okay. I miss my family but this was something I had to do." Sarah replied. "I promise you, you'll enjoy your time here. It isn't so bad. There are a lot of nice people here. So getting along won't be a problem. It'll also help you get your mind off the real reason for being here." Stephanie assured.

"Thank you. How long have you been here?"

"Wow. I lost count, really. About… 6 months now. Yeah." Stephanie answered. "Do you ever regret coming here?" Sarah asked embarrassingly. Stephanie shook her head. "No. It sounds crazy but I learned a lot about myself while I was here."

Sarah listened to Stephanie for the remaining few minutes that they had about her experience at the hospice and got some advice from her as the two ate their breakfast.

Breakfast was over and the two threw away any food they had left. They walked out of the cafeteria and Stephanie pointed her room out to Sarah.

"This is my room. You can come in anytime if you ever want to talk. Come on." Stephanie said and led the way. She and Sarah entered and Sarah noticed the pictures on her wall.

"These are your girls?" Sarah asked as she looked through the photos on her wall. "Yeah. My three little reasons for staying alive." She told her as she went over to the wall. "They're cute. How old are they?" Sarah asked. "Four, six, and eight."

"Do they know why you're here?"

"Sort of. I explained to them that I'm sick and that I came here because they are helping me get better."

"Smart. I have two boys. Ten and eight. I told them the same thing. That mom is sick and she needs to be away and visit doctors until she gets better. I don't want them visiting. Only because I don't want them seeing what could happen to me." Sarah explained. Stephanie looked to her left at Sarah. "Why are you here?"

"Stage 4 breast cancer."

Her eyes welled up with tears as she tried to fight back. Stephanie fought back her tears and Sarah noticed. "Why are you crying? I'll be fine. I've always been a fighter. This is not a big deal for me."

"It's still heartbreaking. You have two little boys and their mother is fighting. Sorry, but I'm just a big softee when it comes to kids." Stephanie explained. "I'll be okay. I am scared though." Sarah admitted.

Suddenly, Stephanie remembered something.

"Come with me. I want to introduce you to someone."

She guided the way and walked down the hallway. Stephanie peeked through Ryan's door through the small window and noticed he wasn't there. She knocked on his door anyway and waited a moment but there was no answer.

"He must be somewhere around. My friend, Ryan stays here. The funniest guy ever. You'll love him. Really sweet and I was in your shoes when I first got here but once I started speaking with him, my attitude changed. I went from being scared and helpless to being this optimistic fighter."

The two continued to walk before Stephanie stopped to catch her breath.

"Are you okay?"

Stephanie nodded and leaned against the wall. She took in a few deep breaths and Sarah looked on nervously. After a few seconds, Stephanie felt better and stepped away from the wall.

"Sorry for that. It happens sometimes. Nothing to worry about. I just need to catch my breath sometimes when I walk a lot." She explained. "Okay. I was getting a little worried." Sarah replied. "If you don't mind, I'm going to try and get some rest. You know where my room is now. Come visit anytime." Stephanie said. "Thank you for everything. I appreciate it." Sarah said. "It's the least I could do. Hoping to see you around and stay strong."

The two parted ways and went to their rooms.

Stephanie laid down and closed her eyes falling into a deep sleep.

Later in the night, there was a commotion. Doctors and nurses were hurrying down the hall and calling for help. An announcement was made that all patients must stay in their rooms until further notice. An ambulance arrived on scene within moments and paramedics rushed inside to help whoever it was that needed to be rushed to the hospital.

Stephanie was awoken by all the commotion and looked out the window to see if she could see what was going on. Due to the darkness and the fact that she couldn't leave her room, she only hoped that whoever it was that was heading to the hospital would be okay. She stepped away from the window and sat on her bed rocking back and forth. Clearly she was scared. She began to pace back and forth in her room when suddenly she began to cough uncontrollably. She rushed to the bathroom and noticed her nose was bleeding. She grabbed as many tissues as she could that were sitting on the sink and lifted her head back to stop the bleeding. Just then she could feel something in her throat and threw her head into the sink and coughed out dark red blood.

It stopped moments later and Stephanie wiped her mouth from the blood. She fell to her knees and screamed until she could scream no more. She cried softly in her bathroom and stayed there until the morning hours.


	14. Goodbye

Paul stepped out of his house and headed to work. When he arrived, he went right to his office and opened up his email on his computer. As usual, it was just emails linked to work. Upcoming meetings and deadlines. He scrolled through all the emails and spotted one that had nothing to do with work. When he opened it and read it, he jumped out of his seat and went to find Vince.

Stephanie had woken up after a long rough night and took a long hot shower thinking about what she experienced just hours prior.

When she was finished, she got dressed and put on her skull cap. She walked over to see if Ryan was available but again, he wasn't in his room. It was very odd of him to not be around. She didn't let it bother her and went to the cafeteria in hopes of seeing him there since it was still breakfast hours.

After arriving, she scanned the room but still there was no sign of him anywhere. She went and got some breakfast but had a hard time eating. The only thing that was running through her mind was Ryan's whereabouts. She threw away her food and as she was walking out of the cafeteria, she asked several of the patients that she came across if they had seen Ryan. All of them had the same answer: no.

"Hey Vince. I need to speak you. It's urgent."

Vince, who was sitting at his desk and reading some papers that were in front of him, placed the papers down and went over to close the door.

"Is everything okay?"

"I need to book a flight to Switzerland. Tonight."

"What are you talking about? What's going on?"

Paul explained everything to Vince about communicating with a doctor in Europe in hopes of finding a cure for Stephanie. The doctor had responded back giving Paul the green light to bring Stephanie and try the new medication on her.

Without a moment to spare, Vince immediately called the airport and requested his plane be prepared for tonight en route to Switzerland. Paul went ahead and arranged a hotel for a few nights and spoke with the hotel manager explaining that he may need to book again due to a medical reason. The manager gladly arranged something for him in case his was needed to be extended.

After all was said and done, Paul looked at Vince and smiled at him.

"This could be it, Vince."

Vince hugged him and cried. "Just make sure my baby girl gets well soon."

Stephanie went over to the nurses desk and spotted Carol who was filing charting.

"Carol. Have you seen Ryan?"

Carol stopped what she was doing sighed. The look on her face was more than enough for Stephanie to realize what had happened. She shook her head and placed her hand over her mouth.

"No. No!"

She tried so hard to scream but there was nothing left in her. She dropped to the floor and Carol immediately rushed to her air and held her tightly in her arms. She then let out a scream and cried as Carol tried her best to calm her down. She hugged her and held her close to her body rock her back and forth but Stephanie continued to scream and cry in pain. The patients knew why she was crying and cried along with her. The atmosphere around the hospice suddenly changed as everyone began to mourn.

What seemed like forever, Stephanie stopped crying and sat back resting her head against the nurses table. She wiped away her tears and faced Carol.

"What happened?"

"He was groaning in pain and I went to check up on him. To see what was wrong. When I went to see him, he was pale as a ghost and sweating furiously. I called for help and after the doctors came to check up on him, that's when we called the ambulance. I learned early this morning he passed away."

Stephanie shook her head. "This isn't real. It can't be. It has to be another one of his jokes. He'll be back tonight, just watch. He's going to come and say it was a joke and that he's fine."

Carol held her hand and looked at Stephanie. She shook her head. Stephanie began to cry once more as she hugged Carol. Carol helped her get on her feet and walked her to her room.

Carol walked her over to her bed and sat beside her.

"This was left on his nightstand for you." She said after taking out an envelope from her pocket and handing it to Stephanie. Stephanie took it and opened it which contained a letter made out to her from Ryan. Carol knew this was not any of her business and left her alone.

The letter, which was about a page long, was folded neatly into thirds and hand written. Stephanie sat back with her pillow against the wall and leaning against it and read the letter to herself.

_Dear Steph, _

_ I really don't know how much more time I have but before I do leave, I have to write all this to you. There is no way I could say all that I have to say face to face to you so this is the best option. Please don't be upset that you had to learn everything from this letter and not from me. _

_ I can't even describe how I feel right now about what you did for me. I never thought I'd ever get a chance to relive my high school years by going to my prom but you, even though you have your own life to worry about, managed to put everything aside for one night and do this one nice thing for me. I really don't know what to say but thank you. Thank you, Stephanie for making me a teenager again and allowing me to experience the one major event of a teenager's life. _

_ About six months ago, who knew I would be telling people that I befriended Stephanie McMahon? Meeting you enough would have been a big thing for me but to become friends with you was something I never would have expected. Unfortunately I wish we had met under a different circumstance instead of meeting at a hospice, battling for our lives, but life has its way of working things, right? I remember the first day I saw you. You were so down and alone. You looked so vulnerable and I had to be the hero. Well, I also was a fan, but that's not important. I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable and miss your family so I walked over and insisted you come out with us and talk. I bet you're glad you did, huh? Who knew ice cream could be the reason to start a great friendship? _

_ Over the next few months we both got to learn more about each other. We were constantly there for each other and confided in one another. We opened up and shared a lot of secrets and dreams. The one wish I had told you finally did come true. _

_ On my birthday, you downloaded that app and had me blow out those virtual candles on the screen. Lame but cute, so thanks for that. I did wish for something and sort of mentioned it when we were up on the roof that one night looking at the stars. Remember? Well, I think now it's safe to say that I finally experienced love. Because I did fall in love with you. I know you're married. You have children. I would never tear you apart from your family. I know you love them unconditionally. I just mean that you made me fall in love. A feeling I never had before. Please don't be upset and wonder why I never told you. How could I? I know you wouldn't love me back the same exact way, which I wouldn't care but I wouldn't want our friendship to be awkward anymore. It was the only thing I ever wanted in life and what better way than to fall in love with such a great person? And that kiss… oh! I can now die a happy man._

_ Don't let my death stop you from going after your wishes and dreams. I know you and you're not the type to quit. You once told me you were afraid to die. Steph, I swear to you, you won't die. You never give up. So keep doing what you've been doing all this time. Stay strong and keep fighting your battle. Take life by its horns and conquer your fears. Don't disappoint me. _

_ Till then, keep being your amazing self. Stay strong, stay beautiful, and keep on fighting not for my sake but for your family who love you so much. They're lucky to have you. I'll save you a seat when we see each other again and I'll play you one of my songs._

_You're #1 fan and friend, _

_ Ryan _

Stephanie cried after reading the letter and buried her face in her hands.

Just then, Paul knocked on her door and walked in with a look on concern on her face.

"Steph? Everything ok?" he asked when he sat on her bed. Stephanie crawled over to him and rested her head on his shoulder. She continued crying and gave him the news about Ryan's death. Paul comforted her and calmed her down before he could give her the good news.

"Steph, listen to me. I got an email from the doctor this morning. You're in."

Stephanie wiped away her tears, lifted her head up and looked at him. "I'm in?"

Paul, smiling from ear to ear, nodded. "Yeah, baby. We're leaving for Switzerland tonight."

Stephanie smiled and hugged her husband. "I already spoke with the Director and explained everything to him. He said you will be released in a couple of hours. That gives you some time to get ready."

Stephanie kissed him and hugged him. She looked up and thought about Ryan, thanking him for everything.


End file.
